DIGITAL.NEOSKOSMOS.COM THE WEEKEND NEOS KOSMOS | SATURDAY 23 JANUARY 2016 25 SPORT Sharp shooter Giannou could be target of European clubs Former South Melbourne junior and Oakleigh Cannons player Apostolos Giannou continues to consistently find the back of the net for his Greek Superliga club Asteras Tripoli this season, leading to speculation he may be the target for a January transfer to one of the bigger European leagues. His season tally of 12 goals A-LEAGUE ROUND 15 FRI 15 JAN SAT 16 JAN SAT 16 JAN SAT 16 JAN SUN 17 JAN ROUND 16 FRI 22 JAN MON 25 JAN TUE 26 JAN # TEAM 1 BRISBANE ROAR FC 4 MELBOURNE CITY FC 5 MELBOURNE VICTORY 6 ADELAIDE UNITED 7 WELLINGTON PHOENIX 8 NEWCASTLE JETS 9 PERTH GLORY GREEK SUPER LEAGUE MON 18/01/16 from just 16 league goals has already surpassed his 10 goals of last season, and keeps him on track to win the Golden Boot for Greece's top domestic competition. The 25-year-old striker has played for a number of Greek clubs since he returned to the country of his birth at the age of 17 after playing much of his youth football in Melbourne. MELBOURNE VICTORY 4-0 BRISBANE ROAR ADELAIDE UNITED 3-1 CENTRAL COAST MARINERS WANDERERS 1-2 SYDNEY FC PERTH GLORY 2-2 MELBOURNE CITY FC NEWCASTLE JETS 3-1 WELLINGTON PHOENIX BRISBANE ROAR V ADELAIDE UNITED SAT 23 JAN CENTRAL COAST MARINERS V WANDERERS SUN 24 JAN NEWCASTLE JETS V PERTH GLORY MELBOURNE CITY FC V WELLINGTON PHOENIX MELBOURNE VICTORY V SYDNEY FC P W D L F A +/- PTS 15 8 4 3 22 16 06 28 2 WESTERN SYDNEY WANDERERS FC 15 8 3 4 23 15 08 27 3 SYDNEY FC 15 7 6 2 21 13 08 27 15 7 4 4 37 26 11 25 15 7 3 5 24 18 06 24 15 5 5 5 19 20 -01 20 15 4 4 7 18 25 -07 16 15 4 4 7 12 19 -07 16 15 3 4 8 17 25 -08 13 10 CENTRAL COAST MARINERS 15 2 3 10 19 35 -16 09 PAS GIANNINA 0 - 2 AEK ATHENS PAOK 2 - 1 VERIA ASTERAS TRIPOLIS 3 - 1 KALLONI PANATHINAIKOS 0 - 0 PANIONIOS TUE 19/01/16 THU 21/01/16 SUN 24/01/16 MON 25/01/16 PLATANIAS 1 - 1 OLYMPIAKOS PIRAEUS LEVADIAKOS PSTP ATROMITOS XANTHI 1 - 1 PAOK KALLONI 00 : 00 PANTHRAKIKOS PANIONIOS 02 : 15 ASTERAS TRIPOLIS OLYMPIAKOS PIRAEUS 04 : 30 XANTHI LEVADIAKOS 00 : 00 PANATHINAIKOS VERIA 02 : 15 PANAITOLIKOS ATROMITOS 02 : 15 PAS GIANNINA AEK ATHENS 04 : 30 PAOK MON 25/01/16 LEVADIAKOS 00 : 00 PANATHINAIKOS VERIA 02 : 15 PANAITOLIKOS ATROMITOS 02 : 15 PAS GIANNINA AEK ATHENS 04 : 30 PAOK # TEAM 1 OLYMPIAKOS PIRAEUS 2 AEK ATHENS 3 PAOK 4 PANATHINAIKOS 5 ASTERAS TRIPOLIS 6 PANIONIOS 7 LEVADIAKOS 8 IRAKLIS 9 PAS GIANNINA 10 PLATANIAS 11 PANAITOLIKOS 12 XANTHI 13 VERIA 14 ATROMITOS 15 PANTHRAKIKOS 16 KALLONI MP W D L F A D P 18 17 1 0 48 11 +37 52 18 11 3 4 31 15 +16 36 18 9 6 3 30 21 +9 33 18 11 2 5 26 14 +12 32 18 8 3 7 24 21 +3 27 18 8 3 7 21 18 +3 27 17 6 5 6 16 20 -4 23 18 5 7 6 17 20 -3 22 18 6 3 9 21 29 -8 21 18 5 5 8 17 21 -4 20 18 5 5 8 20 30 -10 20 18 3 10 5 17 19 -2 19 18 4 7 7 11 17 -6 19 17 5 3 9 13 18 -5 18 18 2 7 9 12 29 -17 13 18 1 4 13 12 33 -21 7 The clubs include Apollon Kalamarias, Kavala, PAOK, Panionios, before joining Asteras. His form this season has recently earned him a guernsey with the senior Greek national team. Although contracted to Asteras till 2018, he has recently expressed in interview that he'd be open to a possible move to a bigger European League outside Greece. Speaking on theworldgame. sbs.com.au, Giannou said: "I am at a good club and I'm enjoying my football, which is the main thing, but if something interesting came along then of course I'd think about it. "If nothing happens, then I am happy to stay but I'd love to play in one of the bigger leagues in Europe and for me, my ambition, like I think any footballer, would be to play in the English Premier League. It would be hard to get into, but we can all dream, I guess. I think I might be suited to England. "I like the one-or-two touch, fast-paced game. In Greece Giannou (R) has been scoring regularly in Greek SuperLiga. PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES. it's a bit slower and I tended to enjoy the quicker tempo of the UEFA Europa League games we played earlier in the season." The striker's agent, Jon-Paul Michail of FIA Sports Management, said a number of high-profile European and Asian clubs have expressed interest in Giannou. "He's probably the most in- form Australian striker playing anywhere in the world right now. Apo is a required player at Asteras and he is happy there, but this is football and there is a big market for him." For the time being, despite all the speculation, Giannou wants to keep doing what he's been doing this season, which is regularly finding the net. "I just need to keep doing what I'm doing,” he says, “and hopefully 2016 will be a good year for me. The aim at the start of the season was to equal last season's total and I passed that already at the halfway point. “As soon as you score one or two, you just want to get more and more. It's been a positive season for me and I just want to keep the focus and make sure I stay fit and scoring." Source: theworldgame.sbs. com.au Aaron Zerefos confirmed for Porsche drive in Bathurst 12 Hour Porsche racer Aaron Zerefos will return to Australia's International Bathurst 12 Hour at the hallowed Mount Panorama circuit, 5-7 February. Zerefos will team up with Australian GT Championship winning team Wall Racing in the #6 Class B Safe-T-Stop Porsche GT3 Cup Car. "I love racing in Australia and I will give it my best shot at the Mountain," Zerefos said. "It's great to be invited back for my fifth start in what has become one of Australia's headline motorsport events. “I can't wait to climb aboard the Wall Racing Porsche again. It's never an easy race but sometimes the cards can fall your way and this might be our year. "The race is evolving every year and clocking up start number five is a good feeling. You hear a lot about the Bathurst 12 Hour at race tracks all around the globe now, and with Stephane Ratel, the SRO group and V8 Supercars involved in the event, the future is very bright. Zerefos will line up against a well-credentialled field including a number of current V8 Supercar drivers and factory Porsche driver Earl Bamber, who races in Australia for the first time since his 2015 win in the holy grail of international endurance racing, the 24 Hours of Le Mans. "It's good to race against such high-profile drivers but all I can do is prepare myself the best I can and worry about my own race. It's a great team and car so there's no reason we can't bring home some silverware," Zerefos said. "I have some really good opportunities on the table in 2016, including a round of the Porsche Supercup at Monaco, so a good result in the 12 hour will definitely help," the American-based Australian concluded. Zerefos had a busy year in 2015; apart from competing Los Angeles-based Australian Porsche driver Aaron Zerefos. in selected Porsche races, he also purchased the premium C Organic Coconut Water brand, which sponsored Formula 1 driver Daniel Riccardo's Go Kart team Riccardo Kart in a Las Vegas Superkart event. This year is shaping up to be another big year for Zerefos, who will again compete in selected races including Rennsport Australia and GT3 Cup Challenge. Zerefos will shake down the #6 Porsche GT3 later this month at Sydney Motorsport Park ahead of the 12 Hour.